Thirty years ago I gave birth to the most wonderful daughter in the world. And just last month she returned from a vacation in the D0minican Republic engaged to her boyfriend. Wherever have the years gone? It seems like just yesterday I brought her home from the hospital.

 

Big brother Kyle was also excited the day Kimmy came home.

**Just in case you are wondering………while everyone else calls her “Kim”, she will always be “Kimmy” to me. And I believe that her brother Kyle still calls her “Kimmy” as well.

Kimmy was a delightful little bundle of joy. She had the brightest smile and laughing eyes. She would awake from a nap refreshed and happy. Of course most of her napping was done in my car as I was busy chauffeuring her big brother around to school and other activities.

Kimmy’s first word was not “mama”. It was “bobba”. She absolutely adored my mother and they had a very special relationship throughout the years. Here she is playing with a tea set at her Bobba’s condo.

At a very young age she showed a distinct preference for the color “pink”. Thank goodness for Oshkosh in Florida, a great place to find pink jeans and pink overalls. And I once found her an adorable outfit at the Roots store in Toronto. Winnipeg was not really a haven for clothes shopping back then and most of her pink clothes came from trips down to the USA.

 

Kimmy enjoyed many happy hours with her Bobba. I would often come to pick her up and she tried to block the door so that I couldn’t come in. And she loved the sleepovers too.

Kimmy was also very close with two of my aunties in Winnipeg. We would often have tea parties with them. Here is Kimmy on the floor with her Auntie Jan playing a game together.

As she grew older she participated in many extracurricular activities. Gymnastics and ballet came first. Her Bobba sewed the costume she’s wearing in this photo.

Here she is displaying her wings at a Brownies ceremony.

Kimmy was also quite an accomplished bowler, participating in national tournaments in Alberta and Newfoundland, where she received a silver medal as a single.

Here in Mexico I have very few family photos on my computer. My son has graciously agreed to store all the albums for me, and my project the next time I visit Winnipeg will be to add more photos to my collection here.

Kimmy adored our two dogs. Kelsey was already seven years old when Kimmy was born. This photo of Kimmy, Kelsey and Kyle was taken a couple of days before Kelsey passed away.

And then Kimmy was very persuasive and Koal came into our lives. For the first few days, she was the only one in the family he bonded with. She would lie on the floor and he would climb onto her tummy and fall asleep. She would dress him in doll clothes, spray him with perfume and put barrettes in his fur. Kimmy loved to cuddle with Koal.

As Kimmy grew, she developed a wide variety of interests. She discovered the art of drumming and participated in bands, sang in The Assiniboine South Youth Choir, Honor Choir and Winnipeg Women’s Choir, performed in musicals at Charleswood United Church and became quite creative in the culinary arts area.

Kimmy then chose to return to university and enter the nursing profession. Attending her graduation was a highlight of 2010 for me.

 

Kimmy was quite young when she moved away from home. It was very quiet around the house without her. She lived in the city, moved out to the country and then back into the city. I was delighted when the apartment she rented was a mere five minutes drive from my apartment in Winnipeg and two minutes away from the hospital where she worked. Here is Kimmy napping at my place after work one night.

Kimmy developed an affection for cats when she moved rural. I was a little apprehensive as she had had a severe allergy to cats as a child. However, the allergy seemed to have vanished as she acquired two kittens, Tigger and Tessa. Here she is with Tigger.

 

When I had my first knee replacement, Kimmy was a marvel. Not only did she visit me regularly, but she also brought me the most delicious lunch one day…….a VJ’s hamburger. She drove me home from the hospital, and how she managed to get me up those steps and into the house is still amazing to me. And she also took me on my first outing after my surgery. Anyone who is fortunate enough to have my daughter as a nurse is truly receiving the ultimate in professional care.

Kimmy moved to Ontario with Tarrant shortly after that surgery. And I returned to Mexico. Living thousands of miles apart in different countries means no more mommy-daughter lunches at Sorrentos, or coffee’s at Tim’s. We speak on the phone or text very infrequently and neither of us are really into email. Facebook is where we primarily keep tabs on each other.

I have also encouraged her to read my blog. And if she is reading this post, I hope she is okay with being the subject and seeing all the photos. I just can’t help it! This is a very exciting time for all of us! It isn’t every day that my baby gets engaged!

Congratulations Kimmy and Tarrant! Love you lots!!!!